Aug 22, 2025

Dr. Chris Mackowski, professor in the Jandoli School of Communication, has been named an inaugural member of the Gettysburg History Council, an initiative of the Adams County (PA) Historical Society in Gettysburg.

Dr. Chris Mackowski, professor in the Jandoli School of Communication, has been named an inaugural member of the Gettysburg History Council, an initiative of the Adams County (PA) Historical Society in Gettysburg. The council consists of “a network of distinguished scholars, authors, filmmakers and interpreters who have shaped public understanding of this remarkable place [Gettysburg].”

In July, Mackowski participated in a panel discussion about the pop culture legacy of the movie “Gettysburg” presented by the American Battlefield Trust. He also conducted an interview with best-selling author Jeff Shaara as the keynote session for the trust’s annual virtual Teacher Institute. “Gettysburg” is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Killer Angels” by Michael Shaara, Jeff’s father; that connection opened the door to Jeff’s own successful literary career.

Mackowski also contributed a pair of articles to On the Front Line, a preservation magazine published by the Central Virginia Battlefield Trust. One article profiled Maj. Gen. John G. Parke, an oft-overlooked general in the U.S. Army. A second article recounted the history of a piece of land on the Spotsylvania Court House (Virginia) battlefield that is currently the target of preservation efforts.